Customer Reviews

FoodSaver T03-0023-01 Wide-Mouth Jar Sealer

5 star:		(92)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

FoodSaver may be kind of shooting themselves in the foot with this product. We found their plastic canisters to be rather expensive, and there were too many reviews saying people had experienced cracks in them. I'm sure a plastic canister would be good in some circumstances, but when we found out there are wide-mouth 2 quart canning jars (you generally only see 1 quart and 1 pint in the stores), we bought the last 3 cases of them we could find locally (6 jars in each case) and ordered this Jar Sealer. What a great product!

Just so there's no misunderstanding, this product is removed after the jar is sealed, and the lid stays put - just screw on the jar ring and put away whatever is in the jar. At first it was a little unclear whether we had to get one of these attachments for each jar, but that's not the case.

Now we can use relatively inexpensive (and durable) ½ gallon canning jars (as well as the smaller sizes) for various food items, take out what we need for use, and immediately vacuum-seal the jar again with the remaining contents. A case of six 2 quart jars was just over $8.00, so for about $25 (plus the one-time cost of the jar sealer attachment of course) we have 9 gallons of storage capacity to use over and over, without concern for cracking like the FoodSaver plastic canisters apparently do too often. And replacing the sealing lids when they finally need replacing is a minimal expense. This also sure beats the cost of the plastic sealing bags that generally can only be used one or two times, when we can use these jars over and over instead of the bags. There is a place for the plastic bags, but we're finding so far that a whole lot that we initially started putting in the bags can just as easily (if not easier) go in the jars. Additionally, the jars keep powdered or liquid products from going into the vacuum sealer much more easily than the bags laying flat at the mouth of the sealer.

All around, these easy to use and very inexpensive for ongoing use, with almost nothing to replace or crack, and easy to store.

One tip: read the instructions carefully. DO NOT open the FoodSaver lid first when it's finished, or it will repressurize the jar. Follow the instructions and remove one end of the plastic tube first - there will be just a little puff of air as air re-enters the system, but it doesn't go into the jar and destroy the vacuum in the jar. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

I have had a Tilia FoodSaver for more than two years. This particular attachment is used every day in my kitchen. It is a wonderful way to preserve foods from the ravages of spoilage. I vacuum seal all of my spices, brown sugar, coffee, candy, chips, strawberries, shredded cheeses, tea, etc., etc., etc. Using wide mouth jars that I have used for years in canning, I can seal just about anything that will fit into a jar that uses a wide mouth lid. In addition, this sealer can be used on the Tilia canisters, both small and large, to seal them as well.

Everything that is sealed in this manner stays very fresh and I can buy larger amounts of things on sale and seal in the freshness. My favorite use is for coffee beans. Recently, I purchased 10 lbs of beans of various types at half price ($4/lb instead of $8/lb) saving more than the cost of this item in that single purchase. The beans stay absolutely fresh until I use them!!

A warning about using the lids, both the jar and the lids must be VERY clean to hold the seal. You should regularly check your sealed jars to make sure that they remain sealed. Also, there can be no chips or cracks anywhere on the jar.

I really do enjoy the sound of popping a lid and hearing the whooosh of the air when it rushes into the vacuum created by my Tilia FoodSaver. I just know that what is inside that jar is FRESH.

Works perfectly. Soup, sauces, etc. last much longer when vacuum sealed in a mason jar. More economical than the expensive canisters sold by Foodsaver. The only drawback is that it's a very tight seal; have to pry it open with edge of a spoon or knife to break the vacuum.

HERE'S THE TRICK I FOUND: (1) make sure the tubes are well-attached to the white jar sealer part and the machine (2) PUSH DOWN ON THE WHITE JAR SEALER while the machine vacuums. It works great!

I figured this out when I noticed that there is a rubber ring inside the jar sealer top and if it's not pressing down enough on the jar, the vacuum isn't as effective.

I read the previous reviews with interest - what contrasts of opinions! I just tried this product and found it to work perfectly. I tried both the wide and regular mouth sealers. They both work perfectly well. I used new lids. I did not heat them before using.

I didn't have to use two lids, either, when I pressed down on the jar sealer top.

As far as the reviewer who tested the amount of air in the jar - I just know that it is impossible to achieve such a tight seal on the jar lids without a proper vacuum. Removing the lids is as difficult after this vacuum sealing as it is with traditional canning - there is definitely a great amount of air gone from the jar to produce such a tight seal. So, in my opinion, it does a great job.

Make sure the tubes are connected properly and firmly, press down on the sealer while it's vacuuming and you should get great results.

I'm thrilled with this product.

P.S. The wide mouth jar sealer did come with a plastic attachment tube, but the regular mouth jar sealer did not.
Also, I don't recommend storing any powdery substance (i.e. flour) as the vacuum process sucks some of the flour up and under the lid, making the seal inefficient. It's best for heavier substances like rice, beans, cookies, nuts, candy, etc.

I got both the regular and wide mouth jar sealers and I use them a lot. I put leftover green salad in a jar and sealed it! Not a speck of brown on any of it. Just as fresh as the day it was made! Also did the same with fresh fruit, such as apricots and sliced peaches. Just great! You must have the right jars in order for it to seal, however. They have to be the newer canning jars, which have a slight rim just below where the ring screws on. I have some older jars that have no rim, and the sealer doesn't fit snuggly on them. Also, one older qt. jar had too large a rim. This is a great way to keep food from spoiling before you can use it up!

The foodsaver mason jar sealer is wonderful! I like that it extends the life of foods AND it extends my grocery budget! The sealing bags are okay, but let's face it, they can get pricey if one uses their foodsaver daily (like I do). I especially like the fact that I can save my leftovers that don't do well in bags, such as leftover spaghetti and meatballs. Also, I put my cheeses in a jar rather than a bag. When using a foodsaver bag for shredded cheese, you will waste an inch or two of bag everytime you want to get out a small portion of cheese to make an omlette or top a salad. Instead, I put my shredded cheese in a jar! I can open it as many times as I want without wasting bags (aka wasting money).
I also love the fact I can prepare a big meal and seal portions directly in a 8 oz or 16 oz wide mouth jar. Look for the "Collection Elite" jars by Ball; I found them at Walmart and Wegmans. In the morning, I remove the lid and replace it with a plastic screw-on top (also made by Ball). It's ready to take to work and microwave directly in the glass jar, which is healthier than microwaving in plastic. For dinner, I can make several meals ahead for the week and keep them in the refridgerator rather than the freezer. That way I have meals ready to reheat in the proper portion size without having to thaw them. Love using my FoodSaver with mason jars!

For those who are having trouble sealing, here are a couple hints that I discovered through experience:

1) As recommended by FoodSaver, soak your lids in hot water to make their built-in "gasket" a little more pliable.

2) As a previous reviewer noted, the jar needs to have either a lower rim, or, in the case the 8 oz jar from Ball's "Collection Elite" designer line, it must have a very short "neck" (the space that is the transition between the round opening and the square body) so that the blue rubber gasket of the jar sealer can get a tight seal. If you are using an older Ball or Kerr without the rim, you may not be able to use the Jar Sealer. If your jar does have a rim, but it is a bit too small to facilitate a good seal, (as in the case of the 16 oz jar from Ball's "Collection Elite") fashion a smallish rubber band tightly around the lower rim, or encircle the lower rim with a couple turns of masking tape. This helps widen the lower rim just enough so that a tight seal can form between the blue band of the Jar Sealer and the jar. That should do the trick! Good Luck!

I held off on purchasing this wide mouth jar sealer because I thought I really didn't need it but have found that after all, it is my absolutely favorite accessory for the FoodSaver. I am now using my third FoodSaver (which I also originally thought I could live without) and this sealer works as well today as the first day it arrived. It works simply, put whatever you like into any jar size as long as it has a standard wide mouth. Place any lid on top but do not put on the ring. Snap the sealer onto the jar top. You may sometimes find that putting two lids on helps, but I've only needed to do that once. Attach the hose to the sealer and the port on your FoodSaver. If you have a very old appliance without a hose port, this will not work. Push either the vacuum or canister button on your machine and the air will be removed. Remove the sealer and the second lid if you've used one. Check to be sure the jar is sealed. There you go, you can then apply the ring. When you want to open the jar, just put a little knife between the rubber and glass. Unlike canning with jars, I do reuse the lids without a problem. Note, this is not a replacement for canning. If you cook a batch of tomato sauce and put it into a jar and use this sealer, you still need to refrigerate the jar of sauce and use it in a safe time frame. The sauce is not shelf stable, but rather the air has been removed for safer refrigeration. Think of it as an expansion of your canisters and store them the same way, depending upon what they contain. I love this approach because I'm more in favor of glass than plastic these days.

I agree that using wide mouth jars is far more economical than the canisters, but for products like flour it is less of a hassle to go with the bigger canisters. The wide mouth jars are great for things you can't put in bags or rolls - like pasta. Although I tried putting pre-cooked pasta in a bag. It continues to pop them noodles for about half and hour after you seal the bag. Also as one reviewer said liquids need to be frozen first if you want to put them in a bag or roll - this instrution is on the video that comes with the food saver. Putting liquids in wide mouth jars saves you the step of freezing first.

I purchased the FoodSaver Wide Mouth Jar Sealer because I thought it would be more economical to use them with mason jars. Having used this item with wide mouth mason jars, it worked very well. The wide mouth jar sealer sealed the contents. I recommend the wide mouth jar sealer and mason jars for those who might find that purchasing numberous canisters to be too expensive. Just purchase mason jars and seal your items with this sealer.

I love it!!! I just recieved a foodsaver for Christmas ...and when I saw the Tilia FoodSaver Wide Mouth Jar Sealer I knew I had to have it!!! saves money on buying bags and rolls especially good for herbs and other perishables in the fridge.